Harmer, Steyn script West Indies collapse

Simon Harmer, the debutant offspinner, and Dale Steyn triggered a West Indian collapse after Marlon Samuels’s defiance on Monday (January 5) to leave South Africa with 124 to get for a win in the third and final Test at Newlands.

South Africa was 9 for 1 at the end of the fourth day, Alviro Petersen the man dismissed, bowled by Suleiman Benn in the last over of an extended afternoon's play, following a lengthy rain delay.

Rain washed out the morning session and when play resumed at 3pm local time, Marlon Samuels kept the West Indies scoreboard ticking. Samuels made 74, sharing partnerships of 68 with Leon Johnson (44) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (50), and was particularly aggressive against Harmer. Samuels faced 150 balls for his 74, but 46 off those runs came in 47 deliveries from Harmer, including two sixes. It was, however, the South African who had the final say in the duel as Samuels holed out to long-on only for Dean Elgar to take a good running catch at the boundary.

That began the West Indies collapse, as the team went from 182 for 3 to 215 all out, losing seven wickets for 33 runs in 15 overs.

Steyn produced a superb spell of fast reverse swing bowling to bowl Jermaine Blackwood, and had Denesh Ramdin caught at square leg. Harmer then took the wickets of Jason Holder and Jerome Taylor, before Steyn returned to have Benn caught behind. Chanderpaul was the last man out, run out by a direct hit from Temba Bavuma at backward point to complete a disastrous afternoon for the West Indies.

Steyn finished with 3 for 75, while Harmer completed a highly successful debut with 4 for 82. Both bowlers had identical match figures of 7 for 153.